Jayhawks Earn Winter Academic All-Big 12 Honors

Jayhawks Earn Winter Academic All-Big 12 Honors

4/30/2026 12:00:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Swimming and Diving

IRVING, Texas – The Big 12 Conference announced the 2026 Winter Academic All-Big 12 Teams on Thursday. A total of 691 student-athletes across the conference were recognized, including 36 Jayhawks receiving the honor.

Representing three sports, Kansas' 36 honorees for the Winter Academic All-Big 12 Team comes after Jayhawk student-athletes set a department record with a 3.54 GPA for the Fall 2025 semester. It was Kansas' eighth-straight semester with all teams recording a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Among Kansas' Academic All-Big 12 honorees, 21 are from swimming and diving, eight from women's basketball, and seven from men's basketball.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests.

Kansas' 2026 Winter Academic All-Big 12 Honorees
Name, Class, Major (*nominated with a 4.0 grade point average)

SWIM AND DIVE:
Caroline Blake, Sr., Finance
Taylor Cloutman, So., Digital Marketing, Communications, Advertising & PR
*Gabi Dyer, So., Political Science; Spanish
*Hailey Farrell, Sr., Exercise Science
Anna Gearhart, So., Digital Marketing, Communications, Advertising & PR
*Tait Haag, So., Sociology
Ella Hansen, So., Media Arts & Production
Alayna Henage, So., Exercise Science
Aidan Howze, Sr., Accounting
Ryan Johnston, Jr., Sport Management
*Lucia Krings, So., Biochemistry
*Lydia Lafferty, Sr., Exercise Science
*Shiyun Lai, Jr., Liberal Arts and Sciences
*Maya Lambert, So., Exercise Science
Izzy Porter, So., Biochemistry
Molly Robinson, Sr., Accounting
*Lize Lukas van Leeuwen, Sr., Philosophy
Mia Waldron, Jr., Accounting
*Sophie Wallace, So., Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Bradie Ward, Jr., Accounting
Grace Zifcak, Sr., Psychology

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:
Laia Conesa Calvet, Jr., Pre-Business
*Sania Copeland, Sr., Liberal Arts and Sciences
Nadira Eltayeb, 5^th Year, MSE, Sport Management
Elle Evans, Sr., Business Administration
Brittany Harshaw, Sr., Journalism & Mass Communications in Digital Marketing Communications, Advertising, & Public Relations
Lilly Meister, Sr., Liberal Arts and Sciences
S'Mya Nichols, Jr., Business Administration
Regan Williams, So., Pre-Journalism

MEN'S BASKETBALL:
Flory Bidunga, So., Communication Studies
Melvin Council Jr., Sr., Post Graduate Studies
Justin Cross, Sr., Sport Management MSE
Jayden Dawson, Sr., Liberal Arts and Sciences
Wilder Evers, Sr., Marketing
Jamari McDowell, Jr., Sport Management
Tre White, Sr., Liberal Arts and Sciences